Guillaume Henri Coté was born 8 April, and baptized 12 April, 1862, at Ste-Cécile in Milton, Quebec. He was the third child of Henry H Cota and Elizabeth LaClair. He had two older sisters, Elizabeth born in 1858, and Mary Jane born in 1860. William was followed by Martha born in 1866, and Cordelia (Cora) in 1869. Some later records use the last name spelling of Cotta.

The family was counted in the 1871 census at Ste-Cécile de Milton, where Henry was a farmer. This record says that all family members were born in Quebec, while other records say that the first two children were born in Essex, VT. Soon after the census, the Cota family moved back to Vermont, where George was born in 1872, Etta in 1875, and Lilla in 1878 (probably in Bartlett NH.)

In 1880, the Cota family lived in Hartford, VT. William’s father worked for the railroad as a wood hand. William at age 16 was a laborer, and Martha and Cora went to school.

On 27 December 1884, in Hartford, William married Nellie J Dodge, daughter of Hiram Dodge and Sarah J Cobb. William was 22 and a laborer, and Nellie was 19. William became a naturalized citizen in 1885.

For several years, William and Nellie had a farm outside of White River Junction VT. When it burned down, they did not rebuild, but moved into Hartford town and operated a boarding house near a woolen mill.

In 1900, they lived in Hartford. William reported that he was born June 1864, but he was actually two years off. His father and mother were not living together, and his father lived with William and Nellie. They had another boarder, William McNur.

The 1910 census lists William and Nellie in Hartford. William was a hide buyer at a meat company, and Nellie was a nurse. This census says that they did not have children. Henry Cota was still living with them (or living with them again). This census record was particularly hard to find, as it was indexed as both Cavalla and Conelly, and the image is blurry. However, the family names, ages, and occupations match and I am sure that this is the right family.

William’s mother had been living with William’s sister, Mary Jane Sloan, and died in 1910. William’s father died in 1917 in Lebanon, NH.

The 1920 census listed him by his middle name, with Nellie, living in Hartford. Henry was a broker in the wool business. They lived on River Road.

Lebanon NH and Hartford VT are just a few miles apart, and the Lebanon city directory covered Hartford. William and Nellie were listed in 1924, 1926, and 1931 as living on Main Street in Hartford. William’s occupation was manager of the White River Hide and Tallow Company in Hartford.

The 1930 census lists William and Nellie on Main Street (no number given) in Hartford. William was listed as a broker for a rendering company. They owned their home, which was valued at $3000. They also had a boarder named Alonzo Melinda. In the 1930’s, people started to drive to work and no longer lived in boarding houses, so William and Nellie closed it up. By then, they were old enough to retire.

In 1940, William and Nellie still lived on Main Street, but had no boarders, and no occupations listed.

William died 12 April 1942, at age 80 (two years older than he thought he was.) His place of death was Hanover, NH, but his residence may still have been Hartford. Nellie died 5 weeks later, at home in Hartford, of heart disease.

Abbie S Blood was born about 1868 in Plainfield, NH, the daughter of Daniel F Blood and Louisa M Walker. She was their second child, but her older brother Willie died before she was born.

The family was listed in the 1870 census living in Plainfield. Daniel was a farmer, but had no real estate value listed, and only $100 worth of personal property. They were living with Simon and Lucy S Heath, but in 1870, relationships were not listed in the census.

Abbie had more siblings join the family, all born in Plainfield. Minnie was born in 1871, but died of pneumonia at age 9 months. Bertha was born in 1874, and Daniel in 1877. They were counted in the 1880 census in Plainfield. Abbie’s father was a farm laborer, Louisa was “keeping house”, and Abbie was “at home” while other children her age living in the same area, were listed as “at school.”

The Blood family lived next door to the Lewin family, who had a lodger named Walter Hunt, a farm laborer. On 31 January, 1885, Abbie married Walter in Cornish NH. This marriage was listed as the first for both. The ages were given as 27 and 19 but Abbie was probably only 17. He was a farmer, and she was a housekeeper. Abbie and Walter had three children: Nina born in 1886, Hugh in 1888, and William in 1892.

Walter Hunt apparently had a drinking problem, and became jealous of a neighbor. The Vermont Watchman published this story on 21 October 1896: Irving Smith, a prosperous farmer of Plainfield, N.H., was shot and killed on the morning of October 12 by Walter Hunt, who then shot himself. The murder was attended with circumstances of unusual atrocity. Hunt approached Smith while at work in his field, picked a quarrel, and after a few words, shot him down. So close was the murderer to his victim that the charge of shot tore a hole through his chest. Hunt then reloaded his gun and again fired, placing the muzzle of the weapon almost against Smith’s head, and blowing away a part of the skull. Still another shot was fired into the body before the murderer fled. When people from the nearest house reached the place Smith’s clothing was on fire. Hunt is said to have threatened repeatedly to kill Smith, of whom he was madly jealous. Lately he has been drinking heavily and that morning he was under the influence of liquor. His jail record is bad, and he had served a term in jail for incendiarism.

More information was printed 13 October in the Tyrone Daily Herald (Tyrone PA) Murder and Suicide Plainfield NH Oct 13 – Irving Smith, a prosperous farmer of this village, was killed last night by Walter Hunt, and other villager, who then committed suicide. Hunt had trouble with Smith over the latter’s attentions to Mrs. Hunt, alleging an undue friendship on his part. Later Hunt’s farm buildings were burned [probably means Smiths’s buildings] and Hunt was taken into custody on a charge of incendiarism, preferred by Smith, but was discharged on the ground of lack of evidence.Yesterday, Hunt went into the field where Smith was working, and the double tragedy followed.

On 6 October 1897 in Cornish, Abbie married George R Gassett, son of Reuben Gassett and Mary Staples. This was George’s third marriage, (he was twice widowed) and her second. George was a blacksmith, and Abbie was working as a house maid.

The 1900 census lists Abbie and George living in Lempster, NH, where George was farming. This record says that Abbie had given birth to one child, who was still living. This is incorrect – she had one Gassett child by then – Daniel who was born in 1898, but her three children from her first marriage were in the household.

Abbie and George had twin daughters, Hallie and Hazel, born in 1902 in Lempster.

The 1910 census lists George and Abbie in Lempster, where George worked as a carpenter. The only child with them is her son William Hunt. By this time, daughter Nina had married and was living elsewhere. Hugh was also living elsewhere. However, I have not yet been able to find Daniel, Hazel, and Hallie Gassett in the 1910 census. This record also says that Abbie has had seven children, with six surviving. I do not know if the child who died young was a Hunt or a Gassett.

Abbie’s son William died in 1918 of myelitis, a disease involving inflammation of the spinal cord.

In 1920, Abbie and George lived in Lempster, where George operated a general farm. Their children Daniel, Hazel, and Hallie were living with them. Hazel married Raymond Tolbert in 1920, Hazel married Kenneth Holt in 1922, and Daniel married Dorothy Vallient in 1923. Daniel died in 1926 of a retroperitoneal sarcoma.

The 1930 census lists Abbie and George in Lempster. George was working as a carpenter. They owned a house on Unity Road, which was valued at $250. George died 11 February 1935 in Lempster. Cause of death was chronic cystitis. His occupation was listed as blacksmith, and he was buried at East Lempster. Their daughter Hazel Tolbert died the same day in Hanover, of pneumonia.

Abbie was counted in the 1940 census in East Lempster, widowed, living with Charles Gassett, her brother-in-law. She died 29 June 1941.

Sarah Mabel Glines was born 14 March 1886 in Bristol, NH the daughter of Charles W Glines. The person transcribing the vital records failed to name the mother, but a later marriage record identifies her as Hattie C. J. Pickett. The 1900 census lists Charles and Hattie with four children living in Lempster. At this point, Hattie has had 8 children, but only five are still living. Sarah was not part of the household, and is probably the Mabel Glines who was living in Eliot, Maine, with Sylvester and Margaret Paul. She was listed as a boarder, not a relative, and was attending school. In this census, she was called Mabel, and she seems to have used both her names, throughout her life. The following information will show her name as it was used in that record.

On 29 July, 1901, in Unity, NH Sarah age 15 married Philip Laclair, age 37, son of Barnabas Laclair and Sarah Ann Hawkins. He was a laborer, she was a domestic. Both listed this as their first marriage, but Philip was actually divorced.

Sarah and Philip had three daughters – Dora M J, born about 1903, Gladys Evelyn born 14 April 1905, in Lebanon, and Daisy M B Laclair, born 10 Jan 1907, also in Lebanon NH.

The Laclair family was listed in the 1910 census at #10 Barrows, in Lebanon. Sarah, called Mabel in this record, had had three children, all three still living. Philip worked as an extractor in a woolen mill. This is the last record I have (so far) for Dora and Daisy. I have not been able to locate them in the 1920 census with either parent, so don’t know if Philip and Mabel have any descendants from those lines.

Sarah and Philip divorced, and Philip remarried twice more before dying in 1926. Sarah married Thomas Joseph Lessard on 24 February 1914 in Laconia, NH. This was recorded as his first, her second marriage. They were in the 1920 census in Tilton NH. Thomas was a general laborer, and Mabel was a laundress working at her home. They lived near her parents at Lochmere Station, an unincorporated village in the town of Tilton.

Sarah and Philip’s daughter Gladys married James Robinson in 1923 in Tilton. Gladys had two daughters – Evelyn born prematurely who died at age one month of bronchitis, and Alice who married at age 15, and died at age 16. I do not know if Sarah’s granddaughter Alice had any children.

In 1930, Mabel and Thomas lived in Tilton. Thomas was a laborer on a road construction crew, and Sarah did not have an occupation listed. They lived on River Road near Mabel’s brother Leon Glines.

Mabel S Lessard died 26 November 1937, cause of death was apoplexy, caused by diabetes. She was buried at Currier cemetery in Belmont NH. Thomas still lived in Tilton in 1940, working at odd jobs and still living on River Road. My last record for Thomas is his WII draft registration card. I do not have his death date.

Etha Hodges was born 4 November 1873 in Factorydale, in Kings county, Nova Scotia. Etha’s father was Jonathan Hodges, farmer, and son of an Irish immigrant. In letter to her nephew later, Etha said her father was known as Sampson, perhaps to distinguish him from his father, and his first cousin with the same name. Etha’s mother was Henrietta Vroom, who was of Dutch descent and whose Loyalist family had moved from New Jersey during the American Revolution.

Jonathan, Henrietta, and Etha moved to Massachusetts, and her brother Frank was born in 1874 in Middleborough. Another brother, Charles, was born in Cochituate MA in 1875. A month later, Etha’s father, now working as a well digger, died of consumption. Henrietta and her three small children took Jonathan back to Nova Scotia for burial. Two months later, Etha’s youngest brother Charles died of whooping cough, and was buried with his father, in the Morristown cemetery.

Etha’s family lived with her mother’s mother – Catherine Jones Vroom, who as a widow had remarried to Thomas Roland. Their house was near the Baptist church in Morristown. They were counted in the Roland household in the 1881 census.

Etha was baptized 28 August 1882 at the Wilmot Methodist church. Her residence was listed as Lawrencetown, so she may have been living at the time with her Aunt Becky – Rebecca Hodges McKeown. Etha attended school in 1883 in Morristown.

Henrietta moved the family back to Massachusetts in about 1887, and Etha’s mother married Lyman Beecher Woodbury in 1890. He was a widower from the same area of Nova Scotia, and they probably knew each other there. That marriage did not last long, as Henrietta was soon listed in the city directories as widow of Jonathan Hodges.

Etha worked as a bookkeeper, and the family lived at 82 Harwood for several years. In 1900, the Hodges family lived at 123 Holyoke. Etha was a bookkeeper at a shoe store, and her brother Frank was a produce dealer. The household included Henrietta’s widowed cousin Charles A Vroom, and his small daughter, Cora. Next door lived Albert and Mary Smith whose adopted daughter (Albert’s neice) Josie married Frank later that year.

It appears that Etha and Henrietta almost always lived with Frank and Josie and their sons. They resided a couple years at 19 Waverly, at 216 Maple, 15 Graves, all in Lynn. Frank’s family lived in Dracut in 1906, when his twin sons were born. I am not sure if Etha lived there with them. In the 1910 census, she lived with Frank and family, and Cora Vroom, in Lynn. Etha was an accountant at a hardware company.

The family moved to Nashua, NH, and Etha continued her occupation as bookkeeper. Her brother Frank died in 1919 in Hudson, NH. In 1920, Etha lived with her sister-in-law Josie, and two of her nephews (Frank Chester and Fredrick Donald Hodges). The other two nephews (Albert Warren and Arthur Roland) were working for and boarding with a farmer elsewhere. Etha’s mother was living and working as a housekeeper at an adjacent house. The family lived at 12 Prescott for several years, at least until 1923.

Etha and her mother moved to Florida, where Henrietta died in 1928 in Green Cove Springs. The 1930 census shows Etha boarding with the Herbert and Bertha Beard family in Green Cove Springs, at a house on Ferris Street. The household included daughter Helen Beard, and Annie Smith who was from Massachusetts. Annie is likely the daughter of William W and Sophronia Smith, and she previously lived in Lynn, but I don’t know if Etha knew her in Massachusetts.

About 1932, the Beard household moved to St. Petersburg, and Etha continued to live with them. She was counted in the 1935 state census with the Beard family. Her home addresses included 801 Burlington, 841 Burlington, 922 8th Street North, 331 6th Avenue North (employed as a seamstress for the Beard family). The 1940 city directory listed her at 201 35th Street South, and the 1940 census lists her at that address, with Herbert and Bertha Beard. This census lists her as widowed, although I have never found any record of a marriage for her, and Hodges was her maiden name. The information was provided by Mrs. Beard and she probably knew Etha was single. Etha’s occupation was housekeeper for a private family – I don’t know if she was employed by the Beards. In the 1940s, to as late as 1945 she lived at 887 26th Avenue North with the Beards. Her occupation was listed as clerk, “The Carrot Juice Man”, and also as a housekeeper. Herbert and Bertha Beard both died in 1945.

The St. Petersburg Times reported on 22 February 1942 that “A class of 97 aliens from 18 other lands took the oath of allegiance and became American citizens in federal court yesterday.” The list included Etha Maud Hodges.

In 1949, Etha lived at 4027 ½ Sixth Street South with Mrs. Helen B Dunham. In 1951, she lived at 33950 9th Avenue North, and in 1955 and 1956, she lived at 1701 32nd Avenue North. At some point probably in the 1950’s, Etha worked for a family as a housekeeper and nanny for the twin sons.

Etha corresponded with her nephew Albert, and when he and his family were planning a trip to Nova Scotia, she sent him names of relatives and locations he should visit. That letter was the basis for the beginning of my Hodges family research.

Etha died July 20, 1962, age 89, at the Lakeview Manor Restorium at 2620 19th Street South. The record says she had lived in St. Petersburg for 30 years, and her occupation was listed as “Lady Companion”. Parents were listed as unknown. She was listed as born in Nova Scotia, but a US citizen. She was buried at Memorial Park Cemetery.